Matthew 14:22-33
22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. 25 And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”
28 Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
Devotional: The God who is with us
In this passage the disciples see more of who Jesus really is – both the man who is their teacher, and the God who is always there.
Jesus has been with his disciples for some time. They have seen him perform miracles of healing; they have heard his teaching; they have been out themselves on mission; and just before this passage is an account of feeding the multitude. We might ask how the disciples did not know who Jesus was when they saw him walking on the sea. But we read the Gospels knowing the end of the story. It’s like knowing the end of a mystery thriller – we can see the clues hidden in every page that comes before. But the disciples didn’t know the end. They were just living day by day with a great man – a teacher and healer and rabbi.
Every so often the disciples see glimpses of Jesus’ divinity. This is one of them. Jesus walks on the water, amazing in itself, but then he says something even more amazing – and something we may miss in English translations of the Greek. Verse 27 says “It is I” or literally “I AM”. Jesus identifies himself as the God who is and was and always will be. This is the God who appeared to Moses in the burning bush (Exodus 3:13-14), and this is the God who reassured people in exile that they hadn’t been abandoned (e.g. Isaiah 41:4; 43:10, 25; 46:4; 51:12). In the light of this, can we, with the disciples, say “Truly you are the Son of God.”?
Prayer
Jesus, thank you that you revealed to your disciples who you are. Help us to understand that you truly are the Son of God, and that you will always be with us. Amen.
Rev Pam Reed, Registrar & Student Support Tutor